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SOAR frequently appears in the media, on TV, online and in many newspapers and publications. View and read some of them
(exert) by Mark Muro, The Boston Globe
...You can't run, and who are you going to fight? Flying goes against all the most basic instincts."
"See, I don't think people who can't fly are nutty or screwy or anything like that. I think it's very natural. In fact, my students are about the brightest, most sensitive people around. They're in touch with their fears, but they're so imaginative they create vivid movies they begin to think are real. I just try to get people to realize their movies of planes crashing aren't real."
At cruise altitude, pilots can generally fly above or around storms. Thus, the storms shown by radar on the map are not likely to cause turbulence when en-route. Storms near your arrival or departure airport can cause turbulence during ascent and descent. Pilots coordinate with air traffic control to provide the best ride possible.
Turbulence is not a safety problem. Pilots change altitude only for passenger comfort – not for safety. On a cargo flight pilots do not bother to change altitude to avoid turbulence.
Turbulence forecasts do not mean there will be turbulence but only that turbulence is possible in the designated areas. If turbulence does take place, it does so on and off.
Planes cruising in the same area are on the same radio frequency. Pilot hear reports of turbulence from other pilots. If turbulence is reported in an area your flight is headed into, the pilots will ask for a change of altitude. If a better altitude is available, air traffic control will assign your flight to it. In some cases, a smooth altitude is not be available because all altitudes are bumpy, or the altitudes that are smooth are already
in use by other flights.
Several web sites offer a way to track a flight's progress. Selecting the icon will connect you to the FlightAware tracking site. To gain confidence about an upcoming flight, enter your flight number. Watch the flight take place. Seeing it take place day in and day out as your flight approaches can help.
Captain Tom's Bulletin
A part of the brain - the amygdala - releases stress hormones if something unfamiliar or unexpected is encountered. These hormones cause anxiety. But, people with a profound sense of security regulate this anxiety automatically. They respond with a sense of curiosity. They look to see what is going on. If they see no obvious danger, they regard it as a false alarm and drop the matter.
Not so for a person who did not develop automatic and unconscious regulation. When stress hormones are released, there is a sense of alarm. They respond with a sense of danger. They look for danger. Worse, they may start imagining it! They can drop the matter only if absolute sure there is no possibility of danger. This makes flying difficult. Many things can be tried, but nothing works as well as training the mind to automatically and unconsciously regulate itself when under stress. This is the training SOAR provides.
